Travel Oregon Awards $120,000 for Local Tourism Development

SALEM, Ore., Aug. 5, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The joys of cycling, eating local and preserving cultural heritage will become even easier for Oregonians and visitors, thanks in part to $120,000 in matching grant funds awarded by the Oregon Tourism Commission (dba Travel Oregon).

Through its biennial Matching Grants Program, Travel Oregon helps advance tourism-development projects across the state that improve local economies and communities by enhancing, expanding and promoting Oregon's travel and tourism industry.

"We are pleased to see so many projects focused on product development," said Carole Astley, Industry & Visitor Services Senior Manager at Travel Oregon. "The funds invested in these proposals will improve the state's infrastructure for visitors and enhance our quality of life across the state by positively impacting local economies through tourism."  

The awarded grant projects will be completed between September 2014 and September 2015.

The grant winners and their projects are:

• Eastern Oregon Visitors Association, for the first phase of a product development plan to enhance the region's culinary and agricultural tourism experiences for visitors
• Estacada Development Association, for construction of a cycling plaza, "rest area," that will attract cyclists to the community and region
• Team Dirt, for the construction of a one-mile, black-diamond cycle trail at Alsea Falls Recreation Site, located in the Advanced Trail Expansion area
• International Mountain Bike Association, for construction of a 1.5 mile world-class, mountain bike flow trail in Rogue River
• Community Service Center, University of Oregon, to assess the current condition of all historic theaters in Oregon in order to generate strategies related to the preservation, promotion and successful operation of historic theaters in Oregon communities
• Hollywood Theatre, to transform a business center in the Portland International Airport into a screening room inspired by its iconic 1926 building
• Discover Klamath Visitor and Convention Bureau, to develop a large tear-pad cycle map that will show Klamath County mountain bike trails and road bike routes
• U.S. Farm Stay Association, to produce three short videos highlighting the farm-stay experience available on farms and ranches statewide
• Port Orford Ocean Resource Team, to develop a SCUBA diving infrastructure to support and market recreational and research diving opportunities on Oregon's south coast
• Wildlife Images Rehabilitation and Education Center, to produce bilingual interpretive signs that will enhance the Open Campus approach, allowing for international, self-guided tours
• Travel Lane County, to develop a mobile Bike Visitor Center to  enhance the biking experience in Lane County by strategically placing the visitor center throughout the region for firsthand local information, tips and personalized trip planning

The biennial Matching Grants Program will open its next cycle in 2016. Oregon tourism industry organizations are invited to apply for funding. For more information, please contact Patti Kileen at [email protected] or visit: Industry.TravelOregon.com/matching-grants

The Oregon Tourism Commission, dba Travel Oregon, works to enhance visitors' experience by providing information, resources and trip planning tools that inspire travel and consistently convey the exceptional quality of Oregon. The commission aims to improve Oregonians' quality of life by strengthening economic impacts of the state's $9.6 billion tourism industry that employs nearly 94,000 Oregonians. www.TravelOregon.com

SOURCE Travel Oregon